Take a Reading Journey with WriteOn Joliet this Summer

Several years ago, a member of WriteOn Joliet brought a photograph of a black pump in ditch to the meeting as a writing prompt.

That inspired shoe-themed stories of all kinds and many sugggestions that we compile a special WriteOn Joliet anthology based on "shoes" and "journey."

Well, we finally did it, and we had a good reason to pick this year, too.

"Write Where We Are: Tales Our Soles Tell" is now available for purchase on Amazon.

And Ed Calkins, Steward of Tara (BryonySeries author and character and WriteOn Joliet member) and his wife Nancy Calkins (an artist who designed this cover) generously offered to sponsor 100 copies of this book as their gift to the community.

We plan to offer limited copies of this book for free at the following events:

June 27: "Presentation 101: An Overview for Authors Entering the Industry" 1 p.m., Joliet Public Library, 150 N. Ottawa St. Joliet. 

July 3: Joliet Eve of Independence: America 250 Fireworks and Celebration: 6 to 10 p.m., Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park & Theatre, 201 W. Jefferson St., Joliet. Live music, food vendors, and children’s activities by B.L.O.CK.S., the BryonySeries umbrella brand. B.L.O.C.K.S. will also have limited giveaways of BryonySeries books for all ages and WriteOn Joliet's upcoming "Shoe" anthology. The evening will conclude with a fireworks display at 9:30 p.m. Admission is free.

Aug. 1: Kid Fest: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., City Square, Downtown Joliet. For the third year in a row, WriteOn Joliet will have a tent at the annual Kidz Fest celebration. Write your own story with our unique, one-of-a-kind, made-just-for-us story manipulable story blocks. And be sure to pick up one (or more) WriteOn Joliet-authored books (titles for all ages), which we will distribute for free.

WriteOn Joliet will also offer copies at a special "shoe" event for writers on Sept. 24 at the Joliet Public Library. Details to come later!

We also have a few events this summer where a few copies MAY be spontaneously gifted (depending on available supplies, of course).

Here is the book's synopsis:

For 150 years, Joliet Public Library has been a place where stories begin. For the last 14 years, the Joliet Public Library has given space to WriteOn Joliet, for writers to begin and refine their stories, too.

In that spirit, WriteOn Joliet presents this special shoe and journey-themed anthology to entertain, inspire, and connect with readers on their journeys.

As Judy Quilty Smith wrote in this anthology, we hope readers “remember their Shoes and Journey stories because we all have them. I hope they remember the shoes that hurt and the shoes that felt beautiful, the shoes that looked lovely, and the shoes they received as a gift from one of their loved ones.”

Enjoy!

Blue Birthday Towels (and Cash for Shoes)

Good morning!

I'm holding off posting a new recipe for Sue's Diner today. Rebekah had a rough day yesterday, but she has a special recipe she'd like me to share. 

So our nineteenth century chicken salad recipes with homemade crackers is still on the Sue's Diner menu if you haven't tried it yet.

Instead, I'd like to show you this lovely birthday gift from Cindy: a set of dark blue towels in a dark blue bag with dark blue tissue paper, a lovely card, and $50 toward shoes.

That might seem like an unusual birthday gift, but I'm also the type of person that loved a shower curtain birthday gift. 

Here's why the gift is so thoughtful and shows Cindy gave from her heart.

Dark blue is my favorite color. Just looking at dark blue makes me feel good.

I love objects that project happiness. I mean, just look at that card! It projects joy and smiles.

I almost never buy shoes and clothes for myself until the need for both is high. It's partly because I don't like shopping in general (unless I'm shopping with someone else because they like to shop and I'm just there for the socialization).

It also has to do with the way I budget my money.

I have an overall life philosophy of "use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without." (In short, I'm cheap).

It also has to do with the fact it's difficult to find shoes that correctly fit my feet. And shoes are expensive.

But as a walker (and an aging walk at that), good shoes are important.

Soooo...

Cindy's gift will take me good places with a smile. And when I return home, and it's time to relax and a pamper myself, I'll be surrounded with a stack of soft blue towels.

Happy Wednesday!

New Shoes

Buying shoes is a real chore for me because it's hard to find shoes that fit.

My feet roll to the side. I have a high instep. And I have a wide foot, but only at the middle top of my feet. So if I have enough width near the top, I tend to slip out at the heel.

For all these reasons (and the problems they cause), my podiatrist told me years ago to stop wearing heels and any shoe that did not tie or firmly buckle near the ankle. So I did.

So shoe-shopping is usually a two-person process. Rebekah looks for shoes that might fit, and I sit on a bench and try on all the shoes she's picked as possibilities while she looks for more, usually an armful more.

But I am happy to report we found three cute pairs of shoes on Sunday: one pair to wear inside only and two to swap out with outfits.

These do not include my walking shoes, which are special walking shoes and which I wear out fairly quickly (I walk an average of ten miles a day, eight on extremely busy days).

Rebekah did a great job, didn't she?

And they should take me to good places, right?

Good Shoes

In the current K-drama Rebekah and I are finishing up (She Was Pretty), one character gifts another with a pair of shoes that are both an upgrade and permission to move on with her life.

More than a few years ago, when I was figuring out Twitter, I read a blog an author had written about her mother. Years ago, the mother had won a magazine contest about women who do their own makeup.

The author's mother was Asian, a single mom, and took her time in front of the mirror each morning, looking at herself while she carefully put on her makeup. The author said it was a time of meditation for her mother, a centering, a time for herself, before venturing into the world to be her best self. And her mother became quite adept with makeup.

The world "mindfulness" is used a lot these days. But what a beautiful concept, to spend a few quiet moments each day carefully examining ourselves, carefully choosing what we will wear, and deciding how we will present ourselves to the world, so that we always present our very best selves.

A popular quote says, "Good shoes will take you to good places." But what shoes? And what places?

Perhaps it's a call to us step a little further outside of the familiar, to stretch ourselves a little further, so that we can continue becoming our very best selves.

Here is the full quote from She Was Pretty, along with a photo of my granddaughter Riley showing off her new shoes on National Pancake Day 2020, where we had a family pancake dinner at IHOP in Morris, a couple weeks before COVID shut everything down.

May you never put on a pair of shoes again without thinking about where they will take you.

"If you wear good shoes, they will take you to good places.Wear these shoes and go to good places. Don't think about other things, and don't worry aout anything. Go wherever you want to go, wherever you want to go. It's going to be uncomfortable at first. You pay a lot of attention when you walk. But they will be comfortable soon. They will, for sure, be comfortable enough that you won't notice them."